Malaysia consul general Noor Azhar Hajis said the case had been resolved peacefully by the two sides. He said MAS had forgiven the Indonesian passenger who had allegedly hit and spat on the flight attendant.

'The case is closed. Malaysia Airlines has forgiven what has been done to its cabin crew,' Noor told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

A passenger from Indonesia, identified with the initials MA, allegedly hit and spat on a male MAS flight attendant, identified only as Jessi, when the aircraft was preparing to land at Polonia Airport in Medan, on Monday afternoon.

Pilot Kamarul Amin delayed the flight back to Kuala Lumpur and filed a report on the assault to security and immigration officers at the airport.

'We cannot accept such treatment because it was very insulting,' said Kamarul.

Flight attendant Fitri Abdullah said the assault began when her colleague, Jessi, asked MA to pull back his chair. Instead of following the instruction, MA hit and spat on the flight attendant.

MA, 29, a Medan resident, said his assault was spontaneous. 'He was pointing his finger at me, asking me to pull up my chair impolitely. He should be more well-mannered. I was very disappointed so I spat on him,' said MA.

Mediated by the Malaysian Consulate General, the two sides agreed to reconcile.

'They have forgiven each other,' said the airport's police chief Adj. First Insp. Saut Sihombing. (hrl/ebf)

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